Heat control for incubators



March 24, 1925. 1,530,750 A.'R. BADGER HEAT CONTROL FOR YIINGUBA'I'ORS Filed Jan. 12. 1923.

Patented Mar. 24, 1925.

ALVA RAYMOND BADGER, 0F GENTRALIA, WASHINGTON.

HEAT CONTROL FOR INCUBATORS.

Application filed January 12, 1923. Serial No. 612,320.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that ALVA R. BADGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Centralia, in the county of Lewis and State of lVashington, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Heat Controls for Incubators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in thermostats employed in connection with incubators and the like.

The object of the invention is to provide a thermostatic arrangement which may be interposed between the eggs and the top of the incubator, and provide means for protecting the eggs from the influence of the source of heat employed for hatching purposes.

The invention also comprehends improvements in the details of construction and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved thermostatic arrangement.

Figure 2 is a top plan View.

Fig. 3 is a broken sectional view on a large scale illustrating the wafer connections.

Referring to the drawing, numeral 1 indicates a support upon which is pivotally mounted at 2 a lever 3, having an adjusting screw 41 and a counterbalance weight 5, slidably mounted upon the lever, so that by moving the weight back and forth the position of the lever can be balanced. 6 indi cates one terminal of a wire and 7 the other terminal thereof. 8 indicates a contact with which a contact on lever 3 is adapted to cooperate whenever the heat within the incubator reaches a predetermined temperature. 9 indicates a rod slidable vertically throu h the support 1, and through a tube 10, depending from the support. To the tube is secured a collar 11, of a bracket 11, and operating through the collar is a binding screw 12. To the lower end of the rod 9, is secured a circular wafer 13, of mica, adjacent which is another like wafer 14. The circular edges of these wafers are joined together in airtight relation, and between the wafers is a film of mercury or like medium. The wafers are arranged in pairs, each pair including a circular wafer 13 and an adjacent similar wafer 14, the edges of the wafers of each pair being connected together and a film of mercury interposed between such wafers 13 and 14 of each pair. Each pair of wafers are then connected together by a marginal connection indicated at 16, Fig. 3, the connection between the respective pairs of wafers providing a space between such pairs, in which space a film of mercury may be interposed. A choke coil 18 is arranged beneath the sets of wafers, a wire 19 connecting this coil in the circuit. 20 indicates a heat baffle, which in this instance is circular and of about the same diameter as the wafers. One or both of the sides of the battle is heat-insulated by means of asbestos or other like material indicated at 21. 22 indicates the eggs to be hatched and which lie immediately beneath the baffle.

The operation of the device is that as heat is generated through the electrical circuit and the choke coil, the mercury between the wafers expands, which elevates the rod 9, and rocks the lever 3 on the pivot 2, and breaks the contacts and thereby breaks the circuit. As the temperature in the incubator lowers, the lever 3 is rocked under the influence of the weight and a circuit is again established. The choke coil 18 which may be either of ordinary resistance wire or by having a wire of smaller cross section than the main wire, of course, causes the heating of the mercury. Assuming that the correct predetermined temperature is 102 F., and the adjustments are operated until the heat holds at 102, as the temperature rises above this point, the double thermostat expands and the rod 9 is moved upwardly and the contact is again broken.

One of the essential features of the invention is the location of the heat deflector with reference to the thermostat and the eggs. The heater is disposed directly below the disks and the latter act to spread the heat, while the deflector acts to prevent the direct heat from the coil passing directly to the eggs.

lVhat I claim is:

A thermostatic element for incubators, including a double pair of wafers having a film of mercury between the wafers of each pair, a heat deflecting disc arranged immediately below and in spaced relation to said wafers, and a heating means arranged intermediate said wafers and heat deflecting disc.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ALVA RAYMOND BADGER. 

